Fifth Harmony covers Billboard (again) and poses for a series of stunning solo portraits and group shots. The ladies look soft and pretty in pastel dresses, but the accompanying interview reveals a certain steeliness. Take the way they dealt with the very-public exit of bandmate Camila Cabello. “I get to sleep at night knowing we did everything in our power as friends, bandmates and human beings,” Normani Kordei says of the split. “You can’t change people,” Ally Brooke chips in, somewhat cryptically.

Dinah Jane is more blunt. “Let’s just say we’re in a better place now — there are no secrets in this circle.” It was an extremely stressful period for the group, nonetheless. “We’d put blood, sweat and tears — and birthdays and funerals we missed — into this thing,” Lauren Jauregui explains. “It’s our livelihoods and our families. This is the train, and now you’re like, ‘Is the conductor going to come through with the coals, or are we left here to die?'” It looks like this story will have a happy ending, however, with the group’s third LP nearing completion.

Read the girl group’s full cover story here and check out their “Down” video below.

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